It's almost unfair to keep rating each vintage of Mac 18, since Macallan is nice enough to distinguish their bottles as such each year (yes, other distilleries' standard whiskies are indeed different from year to year, they just don't like to point it out). Maybe I just liked Mac 18 a little more when the '87 was what I was drinking... then again, that '86 is significantly not as good. The 1988 seems slightly less tasty than the '87 to me -- slightly -- but it is still a prime example of delightful sherried deliciousness.

N: Ripe, burnt sugar, molasses, and some ether in the background.P: Caramelized burnt fruits, considerable sweetness, hugely flavorful with some excellent sherry, this whisky don't mess around.L: Long with a trace of smoke.Really good!!

Ahh Mac 18, the sherry standard... pffft. It's gentle, mild toasted sherry that makes you feel nice and warm. But what else? Where's the sherry naughtiness? It's like a Mac Cask Strength got watered down too much. Paying $140 makes me almost want to give it a lower rating, but to be honest, it is a solid scotch, so I don't. I'd never buy a bottle, but I'd never turn down a free [*censored*] either.